The pandemic undoubtedly caused a significant shift in the conventional means of working. A surprising turn of events took place as offices emptied out and employees started working from remote locations. In a noteworthy change, enterprises started recognising that they had the opportunity to tap into an exceptional and diverse talent pool.
Even though remote working has been gaining momentum over the last half-decade, only a handful of companies have wholeheartedly embraced it. The reluctance to switch completely to remote working can be attributed to three primary factors.
Physical work locations:
The cost of real estate for companies’ actual office sites was exorbitant, and hence companies expected their employees to utilise those premises.Access to Highly Skilled Workforce:
Remote employment and the use of a distributed workforce have become increasingly prevalent since the pre-pandemic era when proximity was a crucial aspect to consider while hiring employees.Efficiency:
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a mere 7% of US employees had the opportunity to choose flexible or remote work, which was insufficient to persuade global corporations that the investment was worth it.
Undoubtedly, COVID-19 has brought forth its own set of challenges. However, it has also been a trigger for the shift to remote employment. This unforeseen transformation has allowed businesses to explore new methods of interaction and review their hiring strategies.
In my opinion, it is essential to draw a comparison between the two.
Consequently, priorities in hiring have changed.
COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the emergence of several new models of employee engagement that cater to the continuously evolving needs of the workforce. These models are customarily designed to align with an organization’s goals, mandates, and priorities. Moreover, they have revolutionized the processes of talent sourcing and recruitment for enterprises.
Framework for Strengthening Teams
Companies commonly adopt the team augmentation strategy to accelerate their timelines by onboarding skilled and proficient professionals. Alternatively, in some instances, the skills and expertise required for contractual assignments may meet an enterprise’s criteria for a permanent job offer.
Before the COVID pandemic, the staff augmentation model was a prevalent practice. However, companies now find it more convenient to hire and train teams that can contribute as permanent members of their in-house workforce. The conventional staffing techniques used to focus on routine or low-risk operational duties. Nowadays, businesses rely on team augmentation models to guarantee high-quality results that match the standards set by their in-house teams. This empowers them to recruit contract employees from around the world with exceptional and unique abilities.
An Example from across the Globe
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent surge in remote work compelled companies to explore innovative ways of engaging their employees worldwide. Instead of solely relying on outsourcing services in traditional countries, including India, China, Mexico, Brazil, Ukraine or Argentina, organizations can now tap into a global pool of talent. Many enterprises have benefited from embracing this global concept. Dana Lawson, VP of Engineering at GitHub, emphasizes the importance of a “local presence with great personnel in developing products that cater to a global audience.”
In fact, numerous companies that were initially hesitant towards this global model were pleased to discover the exceptional caliber, accessibility and effectiveness of the worldwide labor pools to which they now have access.
Approach Centered on Anticipated Outcomes
Enterprises that prioritize outcomes over processes seek employees who can effectively contribute to their targeted results, especially among engineers and data scientists.
Implementing an outcome-focused recruitment approach demands scouting for exceptional professionals with distinct skill sets worldwide. This approach amalgamates the advantages of the team augmentation and global models by not only expanding the existing staff but also facilitating organizations to explore the global talent pool for prospective candidates.
Outcome-driven contracts can prove advantageous for both clients and skilled professionals. By agreeing to target specific results, clients benefit from simplified, hassle-free agreements while talented individuals can participate in groundbreaking projects with fruitful outcomes. Companies in the artificial intelligence and machine learning fields have already incorporated this approach, and it is expected to gain quick popularity in other domains, such as mobile applications, game designs, UX/UI, and more.
The Conventional Views on Remote Workers are Entirely Reoriented.
There has been a marked shift in employers’ attitudes towards remote work, alongside a shift in the way enterprises perceive engagement modes.
Let’s examine how previous concerns about a dispersed workforce were overturned as a result of the pandemic.
Geography
Geographic limitations have traditionally impeded access to the most competent professionals. However, if conditions such as physical location are no longer a prerequisite, businesses can now scout for a broader spectrum of skilled candidates; as long as they have the requisite expertise to execute the job, they can be considered. This affords enterprises a greater chance to locate the ideal employees, as they can concentrate on discovering candidates who align with the organization’s culture and possess the necessary competencies.
Productivity
Initially, companies were apprehensive about productivity when shifting to completely remote work during the pandemic; however, this anxiety was unfounded. In fact, numerous enterprises observed no alterations in productivity, and a few even witnessed an enhancement.
More than fifty percent of CEOs surveyed in PwC’s US Remote Work survey, conducted in January 2022, opined that employee productivity was superior to pre-pandemic levels.
At Works, we have encountered a surge in productivity. Our engineers have indicated their preference for selecting their most productive working hours to concentrate on essential tasks and generate dependable outcomes, a feature that our Head of Talent Experience, Rosa Langhammer, has warmly received.
Possibilities Re-evaluated
Ultimately, the COVID era has provided more flexibility in the worldwide hiring and engagement of skilled professionals.
Enterprises of all types, ranging from startups to multinational conglomerates, have acknowledged the advantages of remote work and a distributed workforce.
Our analysis of Enterprise organizations utilizing the Remote Maturity Model conveyed two crucial benefits of an internationally distributed workforce: access to top-tier expertise and the fusion of global and diverse perspectives into the development of products by engineers stationed outside of the United States. These benefits enabled these organizations to seamlessly expand their development capacities and move towards a continual iteration cycle.
We can help your company leverage these advantages with our remote team hiring solutions at Works.
When asked about the foremost advantages of an internationally distributed workforce, businesses earning between $501 million and $1 billion in annual revenue cited the ability to expand rapidly and accelerate recruitment, gain access to local market intelligence, and achieve a greater ROI with their team.
The Conclusion
With the growing ubiquity of remote work and the expansive reach of the talent pool, it has become critical to reevaluate traditional methods of employee engagement, talent acquisition, and more. This indicates that future work practices will entail increased international collaboration and that talent will be evaluated based on competencies, availability, and cultural congruence, rather than just geographic location. As a result, more businesses will implement these flexible, global methodologies to attract and retain the most qualified staff.
